That's just the thing of it. I have no lingering desire to be rewarded for the pain of my loyalty. My real "loyalty" went out the window when Ditka & McCaskey screwed up the Bear, finished off by the early morning Thompson played games with a clock to build the Cell. When the Sox finally won it was a relief. And you know what, I don't think it was worth all the days I couldn't buy a newspaper or watch sports because "my" team lost.

Choosing to suffer pain for the loyalty of being a Cub fan is flat out insane to me. And to have to do it while aligning yourself with some of the worst fans & organizations in all of entertainment...no thanks.

Consider this, if the Cubbies win you'll being sharing in the glee (& lining the pockets) of an owner with deeply nasty & divisive issues and Bernstein types. Bleech.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

Not to mention Elmhurst Steve is practically a Cub fan mascot at this point.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

I want to see the Cubs lose but I don't think I'm as bothered by the prospect of seeing them win anymore. I think it has to do with Sox getting one first quite honestly.

It bothered me much more in 03 than it does now. I can remember being in Streeter's bar on Chicago Ave. watching Prior and Wood and telling some Cubs fan how great that 1-2 punch was going to be. It was during the playoffs and the guy was rah-rahing about the Cubs but he was sort of cautious about those two. That was before Prior's numerous list of injuries of course.

I want the Cubs to lose but I don't have the same level of emotional attachment to it as I had in previous years. Maybe once they really get close the Sox spirit will come to the fore, but it's just not percolating much for me at the present time.

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Ha. I think about that every time he calls Maddon the best manager in the world.

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

This fuckin' thread!

I liked the Dusty hire, I hated the Piniella hire.. I Wanted Girardi or A couple dozen other guys over Lou's stupid ass , I have never said nor heard ANYONE say Dusty or Lou were the best in baseball. I have heard many say Maddon is best in baseball. He might be.

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I've heard plenty of people say Ron Gardenhire is the best in baseball. So why is he out of a job? Craig Counsell thinks Pat Murphy is the best in baseball. And plenty of people thought Dusty Baker was the best in the game at the time the Cubs hired him. Some of them made signs and waved them around at games. Opinions vary. There will definitely come a time when you call Joe Maddon an idiot. It may come in the next two weeks.

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Freedom is our Strength.

Actually he is out of a job due to his almost refusal to work with the stat guys.

Those people telling you he is the best in baseball are Sox fans still wearing their members Only Jackets that think PEcota is stupid and having a stats department is a waste.

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

Again, you're making my point. That's the Beane philosophy. If we're managing a game based on stats and percentages, I'm pretty sure anyone can read the data and make the call. Fire Art Howe, one of the most respected guys in baseball and hire a guy who will follow the percentages.

And P.E.C.O.T.A. is stupid.

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Freedom is our Strength.

And really, there is no stat that supports batting your worst hitter eighth. So now we've have the arbitrary use of statistics, some strange brew of science and cult of personality. But if your players hit enough homers and your pitchers strike out enough guys, you'll be considered a good manager.

But look, I don't want to piss on Joe Maddon during a good Cub run where everything is going right for them. This conversation from my end has nothing to do with the Cubs or even Joe Maddon specifically. I'd rather use Mike Scioscia as an example of a guy who is considered a "good" manager.

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Freedom is our Strength.

I had a funny joke about things that don't matter in a Valentine's Day thread that made a person hate me for years

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

And yet you and your wife were able to navigate through that contempt and remain married.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.